1. Field
The disclosure relates to a conductor and a method of manufacturing the conductor.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electronic device such as a liquid crystal display (“LCD”), an organic light emitting diode (“OLED”) device, and a touch screen panel typically includes a transparent conductor as a transparent electrode.
The transparent conductor may be broadly classified as one of three types according to the material thereof. For example, the three types include an organic-based transparent conductor such as a conductive polymer, an oxide-based transparent conductor such as indium tin oxide (“ITO”), and a metal-based transparent conductor such as a metal grid.
However, the conductive polymer has high specific resistance and low transparency and may be easily deteriorated when exposed to moisture and air. The indium tin oxide (“ITO”) may increase the manufacturing cost due to the expensive indium, which is an essential element, and may deteriorate flexibility to limit being applied for a flexible device. The metal-based transparent conductor may increase the manufacturing cost due to the complicated manufacturing process.
Recently, as a flexible device draws increased attention, materials capable of being applied for a transparent electrode for a flexible device have been researched, and for example, the material may include a metal nanostructure such as silver nanowires. The metal nanostructure may be prepared in a form of, for example, as an ink composition and then coated on a substrate and dried to provide a conductive thin film.
However, the metal nanostructure may deteriorate optical properties of the conductor due to light scattering on the metal surface.